Prefab Homes Get a Style and Solar-Powered Makeover

Mod.Fab is a project at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture aimed at designing a prefab home that's both elegant and enables sustainable living in a desert environment.

Historically speaking prefab homes have received bad press: Reasons include social stigma associated with the low-cost housing solution, lack of understanding by the consumer, and low-quality mass-produced designs. And that's clearly been a spur for the students and staff at the FLW school.

The complete prototype is sitting on the Taleisin, Arizona campus. It's visually appealing right from the start, with its large colored paneling and asymmetric layout. The design contains eco-technology from the ground up, with wall panels that are both structural and insulating, photovoltaic panels that collect sunlight and provide power, and there's a combination of passive environmental control--suntraps and natural ventilation, as well as active elements. The active elements include a grey-water recycling system and a water catchment system. Ultimately, the goal is to create a design that is entirely self-sustaining in terms of basic energy needs.

Solar powered Prefab House Picture

The most interesting thing about Mod.Fab is that it indicates how our homes should be constructed in the future: Its combination of eco-power sources and passive environmental controls mean that the house places a significantly lower burden on the environment. In Germany, so-called "passive" homes, that utilize similar design elements, are gaining ground thanks to increased taxation on heating oil and natural gas. The strict "passive" requirements, that include super-efficient insulation and exploitation of natural light and heat, result in homes that typically consume only around 10% of the energy of "normal" housing designs.

Even President Obama stresses the need for designs like this: His first weekly address stated that the economic recovery plan would aim to save an average working family $350 per annum on energy bills, with the associated eco-friendly knock-on, by funding "weatherizing" of 2.5 million homes.

If we made our future eco-homes as architecturally interesting as Mod.Fab, perhaps the public would become enthused about the idea.

What is Prefabrication?

Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a manufacturing site or in a factory, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is used to distinguish this process from the more conventional construction practice of transporting the basic materials to the construction site where all assembly is carried out.

The term prefabrication also applies to the manufacturing of things other than structures at a fixed site. It is frequently used when fabrication of a section of a machine or any movable structure is shifted from the main manufacturing site to another location, and the section is supplied assembled and ready to fit. It is not generally used to refer to electrical or electronic components of a machine, or mechanical parts such as pumps, gearboxes and compressors which are usually supplied as separate items, but to sections of the body of the machine which in the past were fabricated with the whole machine. Prefabricated parts of the body of the machine may be called 'sub-assemblies' to distinguish them from the other components.

Medium Size Prefabricated House

Appearance of 90 square meters prefabricated structure.

Second Hand Prefabricated Houses

There is second hand prefabricated houses just like the cars. When the people moved to another city, they usually sells their prefabricated houses and buy a new one. It is possible to dissassemble it and move it, but sometimes its more economical to sell the old one and buy a new one.

Prefabricated Buildings

Prefabricated Buildings are manufactured off-site in standard portions and later shipped and assembled at the target location. The main attributes of these buildings are that they can be assembled very fast without the hassles of site-built construction. Not only they are cheağ, but also provide greater flexibility in design. They can even be moved from one location to another, if required. They are made of assorted materials like aluminum, wood, steel, fiberglass or concrete, so as to provide security and durability. Be it a single small room or a huge sprawling factory, Prefabricated Buildings can be easily opted for.

Prefabricated Buildings include both mobile trailers and modular structures. They can be put together inside an already constructed building. In exceptional cases, they can even be assembled on a non-concrete base. No wonder Prefabricated Buildings have been found very useful for disaster-struck areas, where immediate temporary structures need to be erected for shelter and provisions. Even earthquake-prone areas prefer to have these Prefabricated Buildings, since they are lighter in weight and lesser in cost. And if for some reason a building is required for only a very short period, then it is viable to go in for a prefabricated structure. Lot of structures, like schools, apartments, retail outlets, office space, fast food joints, guard booths, gate houses, toll booths, equipment enclosures, smoking shelters, sports arenas, observation towers, ticket booths, parking booths, storage buildings, dairy facilities, equestrian buildings, hobby areas and military establishments are frequently made using prefabricated technology.

Prefabricated Buildings can be assembled very quickly, sometimes in a few hours. They come with different facilities, including electrical wiring, doors, shelves, windows, bulletproof windows and climate control systems. Most of the manufacturers provide many years’ warranty against structural damage, leakage, and wind loads. They can even be made in multiple stories. One can select the wall panels, frames and columns, flooring, ceiling, doors and windows. Over and above these, they are available in various color schemes.

But there are a few disadvantages of Prefabricated Buildings. They are likely to depreciate more quickly than site-built homes since they are not very popular yet. Also, the look and feel of Prefabricated Buildings does not offer the diversity of a building constructed on site using traditional methods.

Most of the Prefabricated Buildings are sold by dealers, but some manufacturers can directly sell them. From wherever you buy, check the manufacturer's reputation, get in touch with references and ask them about their experience. It is best to take quotations from multiple suppliers before finalizing your order.